


Dropout

by KyeAbove



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: And He Knows It, Angst and Humor, Animal Death, Blood, But mostly angst, Childhood Trauma, Depression, Existential Crisis, Female Pronouns for Pidge | Katie Holt, Fragmented Storyline, Full Galra Keith, Galra Keith (Voltron), Gen, Homeless Keith, Homelessness, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Keith (Voltron) Needs a Hug, Keith (Voltron) is a Mess, Keith and Katie like to swear, Keith and Shiro are Adoptive Siblings, Keith centric, Keith has a bad time, Keith has a selective memory, Keith has memory problems, Minor Character Death, Minor Violence, Not Canon Compliant, References to Depression, Suicidal Thoughts, description of injury
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-27
Updated: 2017-11-28
Packaged: 2018-09-12 14:46:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 16
Words: 11,349
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9077137
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KyeAbove/pseuds/KyeAbove
Summary: Keith didn't leave the Garrison without a fight or a reason, but in leaving, his life, and all its bleakness, just seems all that much worse.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I've been lurking in this fandom for well over a month now, and I finally managed to get out a fanfic. Probably not my greatest work, but I tried my best.

Keith didn’t really have much when he came to the Garrison. Just a letter of recommendation from Shiro. He’d never found the right words to thank Shiro for that letter. It was the only reason the teachers ever gave him a second look, and the reason there was never a third look that would destroy the illusion. 

But Shiro was gone, and with that came the ‘discipline issues’ he’d gotten so much criticism for. No one really understood, and no one ever could. It wasn’t like there were adoption papers he could throw at peoples’ faces. The Shiroganes had never officially adopted him, and couldn’t have ever unless they wanted more people asking where Keith came from. 

To everyone else, Keith was just a casual acquaintance to Takashi Shirogane. Not his brother. They didn’t understand his grief. They said the wrong things around him, and reacted negatively when he reacted as he should to their words. The Kerberos mission could have failed because of a pilot error. But not the one they were professing, Shiro was one of the best pilots in the country. If the Garrison was to be believed, an ametur's mistake took the lives of the men of the Kerberos mission, and that wasn't Shiro. 

That’s why Keith broke into Iverson’s office, and was now desperately trying to guess the computer’s password. He needed to know what they were hiding. Keith slammed his fists down on the keyboard, and screamed in frustration, a bastardization of a Galran curse word that he only half remembered making its way out too. 

“Who are you?” Keith jumped, and bared his teeth at whoever was at the door. A girl. She looked the slightest bit familiar. Keith just couldn’t place it. Something flashed at the back of his mind, but he couldn’t make sense of it. Even though she was familiar, she was still a potential threat.

“Doesn’t matter. I don’t think you’re supposed to be here either.” Keith replied coldly. Probably too young to be a student at the Garrison. She couldn’t ever pass for anything older than maybe fourteen. 

“I never said anything about that. Whatever. Move over. I’m not letting your desire for blackmail or something get in the way of my mission.” She actually pushed him to the side as she stepped in front of the computer. 

“I’m not...” Keith stopped. The incorrect password screen he kept getting didn’t daunt her at all. She made quick work of the protection, and this tiny little girl had access to all the information Keith wanted. 

“I’ll help you find your blackmail if you don’t tell anyone you saw me here.” The girl said, without taking her eyes off the screen. 

“I don’t want blackmail. I came here for information on the Kerberos mission.” The girl stopped typing, and looked over to him with wide eyes. 

“Why? Why do you care?” She asked with confusion and wonder in her eyes, and maybe just a little bit of hope. 

“My brother was the pilot of the mission. I know he didn’t fuck up. No one believes me though.” 

“Well, I do. Come’ere.” 

Keith and the girl – Katie, she said – spent a good twenty minutes looking over files and videos and it was mostly useless, but by Voltron, Keith was ecstatic to have someone who believed him, and that someone was there to share his pain when they finally found the right video. The entire thing had been caught on camera. 

“What the hell is that thing?!” Katie yelled out. Keith knew exactly what that ‘thing’ was. He’d played hide and seek in ships just like when he was young with his father, until the pressure of having a runt child had cause his father to abandon him out of shame. Or that was the officially documented story.

Point is, that ‘thing’ was a Galra ship. The Galra, his former people, had taken Shiro. 

“What is the meaning of this?!” Keith didn’t even to look up from the screen to know that they’d been found out. When he did look up, he knew Iverson wasn’t just going to let him off with a warning. He stepped in front of Katie, and glared at Iverson with all the anger and confusion he was feeling. He was already in deep, and going deeper wouldn’t matter at this point. 

“I don’t know what you people gain from lying to everyone, but it stops now.” 

“What was that, boy?” There were more people crowding the doorway. The more the merrier, Keith thought bitterly. 

“The Kerberos mission wasn’t a failure!” Katie cut in, fits clenched. “My brother and father could still be alive, but you’ve done nothing but lie!” Knowing how Galra treated captured prisoners, it was unlikely, but Keith wasn’t going to say that, because the same fate had befallen Shiro, and despite what some people thought, he did have some restraint. He wasn't going to purposely upset his new friend unneeded.

Iverson turned to those gathered. “Escort Miss Holt off the property. I wish to speak with Mr. Sung privately.” Keith wasn’t prepared to let them take Katie that easily. He put up a decent fight over someone he’d met just a half hour before, and with Katie’s own fighting, they could have won. 

But they didn’t, because of Keith and his own damn mistake, missing a punch and reciving one in turn, and as Katie was pulled from the room kicking and screaming, Keith was left alone with Iverson. Under his gaze, Keith first got flashbacks to his and Shiro’s parents after either of them had done something dangerous, but those thoughts quickly morphed into the taunting gaze of bullies. 

“I’ll give you an option. Drop out of the Garrison, and we’ll pretend this never happened.” Keith was immediately regretful and his mind rose up in fear, but other than a small flinch, he didn’t let it show. 

“You made me think Shiro's death was his fault! Why would I want to stay here when I know what you people have done?!” But that was a lie. Despite his problems with pretty much everyone there, the Garrison was all he had left. His and Shiro’s parents were dead, and now Shiro was gone too. “Is....is there any other choice?”

“You will disappear, Mr. Sung. One way or another.” Iverson said, without remorse, just like everyone else in on this. 

Keith didn’t really have much when he came to the Garrison. He was left with nothing now but his life, and only if he left willingly. This single thought pushed any fight out of him until he’d stepped out of the gates. 

Keith looked around to see if Katie had hung around, but all he saw was a depressing desert, and his own uncertain future staring back at him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edited 11/26/2017


	2. Chapter 2

Depression set in pretty quickly once it fully dawned on Keith what had happened.

The first few weeks on the street were the worst. Maybe even the worst experience of his life. He’d been homeless before, but as a child.

His Galra father had left him on Earth for his own protection, but all he could do was leave him, not help him past giving him the transformation device that allowed him to look mostly human. 

Human, with purple eyes and hair. His hair was dark enough to pass for black in most lighting, but his eyes were noticeably unusual.

Keith didn't feel much like a human when people passed by the corner he'd claimed as his own, and looked at him with pity or disdain as they kept on walking.

It was the Shiroganes that took pity on him the first time, They gave him a human name, a home, and love. Shiro had found him digging through trash while walking home from school with a friend he had at the time, a cheerful girl named....

Admittedly, Keith couldn't remember her name. She and her family had moved shortly after Keith had been taken in by the Shiroganes. While it could have been that he was a young child when she left, it couldn’t be the case because he was now already quickly forgetting the faces and names of those at the Garrison. Iverson was engraved clearly on his conscience though. 

Only because Iverson was the reason Keith was dying on the street, or else he wouldn't spare the man another thought.

Keith had proof that a homeless child was pitied. A homeless eighteen year old with clothing unfit for the nearing winter was considered the very trash Keith had been digging through for food yet again. 

Now, while no human gave him a second thought, about a month and already too many lost pounds later, Keith oddly come across the affections of a local stray cat. Despite his attempts to shoo her off at first, she kept bringing him mice and birds to eat. It wasn't any ideal meal, but much more filling then scraps. 

Soon enough it wasn't just food she was bringing him. One day she brought no food, but approached Keith with a pleasant chirping greeting. With that she curled up in his lap and fell asleep, and although it wasn't food that she brought, she'd shown him trust, and love, and Keith felt like he had something to live for again. 

Keith fell in love with her and her sweet attitude. She treated him like how Keith imagined a proper grandmother would treat her grandchild. She made sure he was well fed, even at the expense of the local bird population. She let him get close to her and pet her very early on. She never asked for anything in return.

Underneath her unkempt and clumped fur, Keith could see an old and tattered collar, probably as old as the cat was. Sometimes he wondered what happened to the cat’s owners. Did they leave her and never once consider coming back? Did they die? Did she end up outside only accidentally, and was greatly missed by a family who loved her?

Keith called the cat an assortment of names in the beginning, but eventually settled on Kate. Katie had been on his mind since he left the Garrison, and he’d projected that onto his newest friend. Kate seemed indifferent to the name, no change in her purring as he cradled her in his arms, but he knew it was greatly appreciated. She hadn't been called a name since her joints had yet to ache. 

Things got a little easier after Kate adopted him. More then just emotionally. Keith stopped looking as thin and paler with a more constant source of food, and if he was encouraged to drop his human disguise and groom himself of the dirt and grime that had covered him, well, no one but Kate had to know that. Keith managed to get a job waiting tables at a local diner, and a few months after unwillingly dropping out of the Garrison, Keith secured a small apartment for him and Kate. 

It was good enough. Keith wasn’t expecting much, so what he had was the best outcome. 

Kate died. 

Keith knew she was old. But he never wanted to admit that she was in her final months. Maybe it would have hurt less if he’d come home from work to find her gone. Maybe then the mood whiplash wouldn’t have hit him so hard. He’d been reading a mystery novel, with Kate on his lap, and she’d stopped purring. 

He thought she’d just went to sleep. But she had died. 

Even when he realized this, Keith kept stroking her black fur, sobbing, until she was cold. 

Keith knew of no place he could bury her in town, so he’d walked all the way out to the desert to find a proper burial place. It wouldn’t be the best resting place for his precious Kate, but Keith could do nothing more for her.

It was in the desert that he first felt a presence. Some kind of...energy? Magic? There was something in that desert. That, Keith could determine. He wasn’t sure why he noticed it, but he knew he had to find it. 

Keith had to return to the town for work, but he returned the next day. He kept walking further and further, as the energy got stronger, until he got lost. Staying over night in the desert was not anything Keith had prepared for, but he lived. Somehow. 

Keith still couldn’t find his way back the next day, but he did find a little shack in the middle of nowhere. It was falling apart, but it was the first unnatural thing he’d seen in the desert, so he raced up to it.

“Is anyone home?” Keith knocked on the door, and received no answer. The door wasn’t locked, and it seemed deserted, so Keith walked in. “Hello?” Some kind of desert creature scurried across the floor. Keith didn’t recall later what it was. It was dead in seconds and food afterwards.

No one lived in the shack, so Keith made it his own. It seemed like the perfect place to find the...energy? Keith didn’t know exactly what it was, but he thought that it might turn out to be useful. Something he could use to distract him. From Shiro. From Kate 

Keith did eventually find his way back to town, and after getting some extra supplies, and a cool bike he shamelessly bought with his last paycheck, Keith left his job and apartment, and moved into the shack. It was the first place that felt like home. Even with Kate, the apartment had felt dead, because Shiro wasn't there. Out here, the energy was a comfort, and it distracted him from his misery, and gave him a new purpose. 

It was rather bittersweet, because Kate wasn't there with him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edited 11/26/2017


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I struggled with this chapter, because I wasn’t sure how quickly I wanted Keith to find the energy and go full out conspiracy theorist. So I decided to go with this.

Keith didn’t know what he was going to find, or if it would be useful at all, but its what got him through the days where life didn't seem worth living. He made up maps, and drawings, all for the sake of not getting lost in the desert. The energy was telling him to find it, however strange that was, and despite this insistent need, Keith didn’t want to die from exposure while searching. 

Keith had a lot of the area down pretty well when an accident occurred. He’d forgotten to eat for a few days, so when he did finally go out to hunt for food, he was slightly disorientated. He didn’t think it was too much of a cause for concern, so he’d leaped after the creature, knife in hand. He’d miscalculated his jump and his knife slipped from his grasp, and he landed painfully on his side, with a slice in his palm. It wasn’t even a small cut. It was deep, and it was bleeding, staining the grown as it driped down his wrist, and if he didn’t treat it, it wasn’t going to stop bleeding on its own. 

Of course, this occured on the day he got lost again. His intended prey had strayed from the area that Keith had memorized, but it had looked so filling that he hadn’t cared at the time. Now, he was bleeding and in pain, tears in the coners of his eyes, and night was starting to set in. 

Wandering and stumbling about for sometime as the sun started to go below the horizon, Keith thankfully found refuge in a small cave. It was warmer than he expected, and farther in there was a little pool of water Keith was able to drink from, and he poured the water over his injured hand. Now that it was cleaner, he could see that it wasn’t as bad as he thought. It still hurt and burned, but he wasn’t going to bleed out. 

Once settled in the cave, Keith went into his Galra form and curled up in a corner. He still hadn’t eaten, and the trek through the desert had left him sicker than ever. He was vulnerable if any predator came into the cave. But he felt safe here, and he fell asleep happy.

What he didn’t expect to have happened when he awoke, was to be almost fine. He was still hungry, but he wasn’t sore anymore, and the cut had healed over into just a scar. He tried to remember if Galra had faster healing times then humans, but nothing came to mind. Grudgingly, Keith brushed it off as something he hadn’t noticed as a child. He’d be heavily sheltered by his father, and protected at all times, and any injuries he got, however minor, had him put in a healing pod. 

If Galra healed faster, Keith wouldn’t have been given a chase to know. But if they did, he wish he’d knew before. When he broke his leg when he was eleven, if he’d just switched off his transformation device that surpressed almost all his Galra qualities, maybe he wouldn’t have missed the school dance Shiro was going to take him to, and maybe he could have made friends there. 

Keith's stomach growled, reminding him of the reason he’d left home in the first place. He found a small creature sometime after leaving the cave, and while it didn’t fill him, it allowed for some amount of clarity. That’s when he realized it. The energy had been strong that night, but he’d ignored it in his delirious state. He had to find the cave again. 

That didn’t happen. But he found home, and as he stumbled through the door, a single thought crossed his mind, and he smiled. The energy was alive. It wasn’t something, it was someone, and they’d just saved his life. 

To nobody in the shack, but to someone in his heart, Keith spoke.

“Thank you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edited 11/26/2017


	4. Chapter 4

Keith was unsuccessful in locating the cave again. After a week he gave up on trying to rely on his hunger dulled memories. 

Keith was starting to loose hope again. There was a period of three days where he just laid on the floor unless he needed to relieve himself, and it was only thirst, and hunger once again that eventually pushed him to do anything with his life. 

One night, when he was too numb to care about the cold, Keith laid down on his stomach in what he called his yard, and spent hours looking at the stars. There was so much that had happened up there, and was still happening, and below it all, Keith felt much too small.

Keith knew the Galra had probably killed Shiro, and the other two. Katie’s family. He’d seen the video, and he had some memories of what they did. It terrified him. If the Galra hadn't killed the crew immediately, they might as well be given up for dead anyways. 

Slaves of the Galra Empire were dead every day they lived. 

Keith had some memories of the treatment of slaves. They were some of his clearest memories from when he was a young child. It was when he realized that he didn’t like being Galra. It was also when he realized the Galra didn’t like him being Galra either.

Despite everything slaves went through, nothing compared to the fights. Keith didn’t remember much about them, because he didn’t want to. He didn’t want to think that Shiro had been forced to fight. 

His father had been personally invited to one of the fights. All Keith could remember was so much blood, and clutching onto his father, and cruel taunts from those around them.

_How about we put your runt in the ring, Th-c-?_

His father always found a way to get out of going to fights after that. Keith thought he was luckily enough to have the father he did. Even though the fuck up in Keith’s genetics had left him smaller he should have been, and gave him purple eyes when they should have been yellow, his father had loved him. Many other Galra told Keith that most runts were killed at birth out of shame or simple unneed. They tried to convince him that his father only kept him alive because Keith’s mother had died during the birth and his father wanted one last reminder of his love. But Keith thought then that his father loved him as he loved Keith’s siblings. 

Keith hadn’t seen his father in a long time. When the pressure and apparent shame got to be too much, and the threats on Keith's life too frequent, his father had left him on Earth. 

The Shiroganes had taken him in, figuring out very soon that Keith was an alien. Keith was the closest name Shiro could come up with to his actual name, and as he started to think of himself as Keith and not Akeethak, and as he started to think of the Shiroganes as a father, a mother, and a brother, memories faded.

He couldn’t even remember his first father’s name now.

But that man, faded from Keith's memory to nothing more then a concept, was out there, dead or alive among the stars.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edited 11/26/2017


	5. Chapter 5

The next time Keith made it to town, he stopped by a thift store, finding comfort in the slightly less stressful shopping environment. He immediately came across a pair of fingerless gloves, which he figured would hide the scar on his palm from himself while still leaving his fingers free. After that he browsed aimlessly, finding basic clothing but nothing all that exciting until he came across an unsightly red cropped jacket that Keith immediately fell in love with. Something told him that grabbing the fanny packs was a big mistake too, but he didn’t want another accident where he couldn’t treat a wound, and he later filled them with cheap medical supplies. 

The door jingled while Keith was browsing the pants section, and this would have been completely irrelevant had a disappointed, and familiar voice not followed it. 

“Mom, you can’t! That’s one of dad’s favourite shirts. And Matt just loves these shoes.” It was Katie, pleading with a woman who was probably her mother. They were both carrying multiple bags of clothing and items, and the devastated look on Katie’s face was utterly heartbreaking. Keith knew about her father and brother, and what they had saw, but no doubt her mother didn't. 

“Honey, they’re gone, and there are people out there in need.” Katie still wasn’t defeated, and had clearly been fighting this for a while. 

“No, mom, they’re not, and I’m going to prove it.” Keith wasn’t the only one watching them at this point. Though Keith was the only one showing any pity. Most of the bystanders were annoyed or amused. 

Mrs. Holt just shook her head sadly. 

“Excuse me, but could I take a look at those?” Keith said this before he even thought it though. He walked over, and the look Mrs. Holt gave him said that maybe he should have washed himself before coming into town. Despite his greasy and dirty appearance, and the fact that his hair had grown even longer, falling past his shoulders now, and obscured a lot more of his face, Katie’s eyes lit up in recognition. 

“It’s you! Keith.” Katie said happily. “Mom, let him look! I think some of Matt’s stuff would fit him.” Mrs. Holt was surprised at this sudden change in Katie’s attitude, but smiled anyways, and handed Keith some of the bags. 

“I’ll just drop this other stuff off. If you feel safe with me leaving, that is.”

“Mom, it’s fine. He’s a friend.” Katie replied, honestly, and Mrs. Holt took the remaining bags to the donation area even as Katie still watched her with sadness in her eyes. “Anyways...” She turned to Keith, who had just found a nice dark blue shirt in one of the bags. “How badly did they punish you?” 

“I was forced to drop out.” Keith said, pulling a pair of pants out, and frowning when they were clearly too short for him. 

“Well, damn them then. I don’t know what kind of student you were, but its their loss.” Katie replied, scoffing. 

“I was top of my class. Now I’m a greasy hobo. But I couldn’t stay there, knowing what they did.” He’d gotten used to that idea. Now that he had the energy keeping him company, he didn’t regret leaving now. He had somewhere else to be. But there was another matter to address. Katie had just pulled out a notebook and was shoving it in his face. 

“They’ve been hiding a lot of things from us. I..uh, built a scanner last month. It covers the entire solar system! Pretty impressive, right?” Keith nodded, flipping through the notebook, eyes widening more often then not. This was...this was! “I’ve been picking up far off radio signals, and most of them aren’t ours. I’m betting its the aliens who took our family.” 

“Katie, this is....do you think the Garrison is picking this up too?” 

“Probably. Bastards...pilot error. I can’t believe it. Aliens aside, their cover story is total bullshit.” Keith scowled, and nodded in agreement. “When Matt and my father were selected to be on the Kerberos mission, I got to see a lot. I remember watching your brother fly once, and it was flawless.” 

...what?

“When did that happen?” 

“About a month before the mission. Why do you ask?” That was it. That was why Katie seemed so familiar when he met her at the office. It was irrelevant at the time, so he’d put the memory on a dusty shelf in his mind. Now he remembered it clearly. Katie, wide eyed in wonder as she watched the sky, someone who must have been Matt teasing her lovingly. There was passion. Keith remembered thinking that she wanted to fly too. Maybe one day he could...he stopped himself there. He barely knew her. Plus, there wasn’t anything in his life now but the energy. 

“I was at that flight. Shiro asked me to bring him lunch, because he forgot. He really can fly. Though, even he says that I’m better.” Katie grinned, and Keith shared in it. 

“Maybe you can show me one day.” Maybe he could. 

He ended up being dragged to the Holt residence for dinner once Colleen had donated everything Keith didn’t take, much to Katie’s continued annoyance. 

After Colleen deemed him not a creep, that is.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I felt like this story needed more Katie and Keith friendship. I have an intense love for Kidge, and even though it can’t happen in this canon influenced story due to their established ages, who says they can’t be very good friends?
> 
> Edited 11/27/2017


	6. Chapter 6

Keith left town by nightfall, racing across the desert on his bike. At this point, he should have felt a little shame for buying the bike now that he needed money for various things. But the bike was so damn awesome, and great for getting across the desert when he wasn’t hunting for food, so that the shame didn’t set in. Just a minor bit of annoyance that he may have to resort to stealing. 

Sometimes, when Keith had the wind blowing through his hair, speed picking up, he was reminded of one of his brothers. The ones who he barely knew. This brother was just another faceless-nameless person from Keith's past, and even though Keith probably wasn’t any closer to that brother then he was to any other sibling of his, it was that brother who truly inspired his love for speed and flying. He remembered that a short period of time before he’d been brought to Earth had been spent mostly with siblings. His father could no longer protect him, so he was flung across galaxies to family that almost always hated him. The last sibling to have Keith had been indifferent, almosg fond, and had that brother not posed as big a threat to Keith as the other Galra did, Keith might have stayed with him longer. 

When he brought Keith back to their father, he’d taken a less then linear path to their destination, swerving the mini ship quickly around space junk and planets, and in his brother’s lap, Keith got to see it all. 

The desert was nothing like the universe Keith often wanted to return to, but when there was a long stretch of nothing, he dared to look up. Among the sky, the universe he was cut off from, his father and family was somewhere. Either alive or dead, they were out there. Even though the Shiroganes were his family now, despite none of them being in his life anymore, there was a feeling of loss when he thought of the man who sired him and the siblings he didn’t remember. He needed closure. 

Sometimes, when it got too much, he talked to Shiro about it, and while Shiro couldn’t relate until much later, he understood all the same. When Shiro wasn’t there, Keith closed up and thought only of Shiro and bringing him back. Now, Keith was sparing thoughts of his father again. It hurt more then Shiro sometimes. 

He spent too much time staring at the sky, and just missed crashing into a rock, noticing its approach just a second before impact. He swerved his bike, bringing it to a stop. 

“Son of a fuck.” He muttered to himself. Focus on what was ahead, and not on beyond, Keith. Or was it Akeethak? He wasn’t quite sure who said it now. It could have been Shiro, but it could have also been his father. This advice was more literal now. 

Keith started his bike back up, and the rest of the ride was smooth, and soon his shack came into view. 

Along with a space ship in his yard.

Keith was Galra before he could even think about the consequences of revealing this to a random alien or human who had landed in his front yard. His first thought was _defeat!_ and he road the rest of the way really to attack. Closer now, he could see the ship was Galran. Panic rose in his mind. Had those who wanted him dead found him? Had the Galra broken Shiro, and he let it slip that his adopted little brother who was sometimes a purple bat-cat? This could not be a coincidence. 

His claws were drawn, and he clutched his knife tightly as he inspected the ship. _Kill...kill.._

The ship opened up, and Keith held his ground.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edited 11/27/2017


	7. Chapter 7

"Akeethak?" 

It was another Galra, as Keith assumed it had to be. But Keith was the only threatening one there. The Galra's weapons were not in his hands, instead hanging off his belt, and the Galra gave no indication that he would grab them. He seemed cautious, and haunted, and tired.

The Galra had said Keith's old name too, in a tone unfit for impending battle and harm. Almost...fondly. Hopeful. Maybe that's exactly what it was. But why would a Galra enemy have any fondness for Keith. What was going on?

"Akeethak." The Galra repeated, stepping forward. Keith growled out a threat, and the Galra stepped back. In acceptance. What was his game? 

"My name is Keith. I don't know where you got that name from, but I'm not Akeethak anymore." The Galra _smiled._

"Akeethak was your Grandfather's name. He died in battle the day you were born, and we all thought it fitting to name a child of mine after my father. It was your brother Seivolin who suggested it." Keith's stance fell. No.

"What?!"

"I was answering your statement. Nothing more."

"No..." This couldn't be. It had to be a trick. This Galra couldn't be, after all this time...

"I won't lie and claim otherwise. You are my son." Keith almost wanted to dispute this. But there was no denying their similarities. Same ears and face shape, and any quality of Keith's appearance that he didn't see in this Galra had to have just came from his mother. 

This Galra was his father. 

"Papa?" Keith asked, slowly and unsure. The Galra smiled wide.

"It's been much too long, Akeethak."

For the first time in over fifteen years, father and son reunited in a hug.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter will be heavy father-son bonding and will explain how Thace found Keith.
> 
> Edited 11/27/2017


	8. Chapter 8

Thace didn't want to give Akeethak up. Any lesser Galra would have killed him at birth or wouldn't suffer for raising him. But Thace wasn't a lesser Galra. He was rising in the ranks, impressing everyone with his abilities and knowledge, and not one other was able to understand why Thace put so much effort into keeping his runt son safe and alive. It was effort that could have went towards bettering the great Galra Empire.

Thace loved all his children, no matter what. But Akeethak gained extra attention because he was the youngest and the first child born of him and his wife in a long time, and because Thace was sure he wouldn't loose him to the Empire, only getting the occasional message, or in some tragic moments, a body to be buried. It was rare for a runt to live past the first day. Even rarer for them to be considered useful to the Empire. 

Yet, Thace couldn't keep his son, no matter how much he wanted to. If his wife was still alive, he could, but being alone now, Thace couldn't do it. He was a spy, and he was supposed to rise in the ranks of the Empire. Keeping Akeethak kept him back. Promotions were given to less qualified Galra because Thace couldn't make it to the occasional important meeting since Akeethak had caught some flu, or Akeethak wanted to go to a certain planet to play with some fluffy creatures. Akeethak wanted them to be a family. Thace's superiors, both in the Empire, and in the resistance, were not pleased with this.

The Empire thought it was a weakness. The resistance claimed that every day spent with Akeethak was another day Zarkon was allowed to rule. 

Thace accepted this. It broke his hearts, but once Zarkon was gone, Thace would have all the time in the universe to raise Akeethak. Akeethak was still too young to be left alone. Thace left him with the siblings not too busy with their careers, but it never worked out. His second youngest son Seivolin would have been the best choice, and did keep him the longest, but after Seivolin almost got Akeethak killed multiple times accidentally, Thace had to make a new decision. 

Seivolin told him of Earth. His son had been there multiple times undercover, because he had a strong liking for an Earth fruit, something called a cucumber. Apparently, despite the planet's quirks, it was a decent place to live, and many there had a love for cute things, and as long as he looked like them, they would accept Akeethak. It was Seivolin who also supplied the device to allow the change in appearance. Thace wasn't happy with the idea, but for the sake of the universe, he saw it as the only choice. 

Thace left Akeethak on Earth with sadly only his mother's knife as protection. He wished he could do more, but he couldn't. He just hoped his son could make it out alive on this planet, until Thace could come retrieve him. Sevo had helped him tune into the transformation device, and all Thace would have to do is track it. 

The young man in his arms now was alive, but very beat down, mentally and physically. He was too skinny for even a runt, and gone was the happiness and cheerfulness Akeethak used to radiate. But this was his son. Grown up now, but still his small son who was the light of his life. 

Thace never wanted to leave him again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edited 11/27/2017


	9. Chapter 9

"I saw a human settling when I flew down towards this place. I was surprised the ship's system had not locked on it, and instead on this shack as the most constant source of the device. You have been here for a significant amount of time. That worries me." Thace turned out to be a worrying parent. Keith found himself not minding all that much. He was overjoyed at having a parent again, and even just having someone to talk to. He hadn't had much extended interaction with anyone since Kate died, and this, plus his previous dinner with the Holt females, was leaving him in a much better mood. 

"I used to live there, for a time, but things changed. My friend died. I came out here to bury her, and I decided to stay." Keith replied, self conscious now as to the state of the shack. Random crap all over the place, his notes scattered all about, and carcasses and skeletons of past meals littered the floor and coffee table. 

Thace had not came alone. Seivolin, Keith's sadly last living sibling, had stumbled and then fallen out of the ship while Keith and Thace were finishing their hug. Keith wondered what Shiro would have thought of Seivolin's clear mullet. Maybe Keith could have made a case to keep growing his.

"That's rough." Seivolin said, lounging on Keith's couch. " I have to ask. Do you happen to have any cucumbers?" Seivo asked, rolling his eyes at Thace's disappointed dad look. "I'm not allowed to come to Earth and eat the best fruit in the universe? After I graciously snuck you here so you could see Akeethak after all this time! You wound me, father." Seivo, Keith was finding, was a little insensitive. Just like Keith himself sometimes. But his actions and his face were kind enough, and Keith would later think Seivo seemed more...human then other Galra. More wild at least. But when Keith imagined a brother, Shiro was always what came to mind, the kind of person that he was. Seivo was almost nothing like that.

"Well, I usually eat what I can find out here. I spent most of my money on a bike, and..."

"Bike?! What kind of bike are we talking about here?"

That was how they all ended up on Keith's bike, speeding towards town, without Keith or Thace having a say towards it. Seivo wanted cucumbers. He apparently had a stash of Earth currency for these situations, and he kept around more transformation devices he traded from some two headed creature, and Keith had a bike. There was no stopping him. 

Blending in as humans, Thace and Sevo looked very much like Keith did as a human. Keith didn't feel as small anymore with their slightly regressed heights as mass shifted. They still towered over him, but not as much as before. Once Keith directed Sevo in the direction of the market, all Thace and Keith could do was follow him. It gave them a good time to talk in private.

"Who was your friend? The one that died?"

"Her name was Kate. I only knew her a few months before her passing, but she helped me through a rough spot. I was depressed and lonely and wasn't able to do much, but she saw past that and cared for me. If it wasn't for her, I might have died, honestly. If only you had the chance to meet her." Keith looked down at the ground.

Thace nodded. 

"I would have loved to meet her. You clearly miss her dearly, and anyone that missed was a good person. What creature was she? One of these humans?"

"No. She was a cat. They're not considered by most here to be more then pets. But she told the best stories. She never liked to speak of her past, but she loved to talk about the things she'd seen. She new quite a lot. She even had all sorts of theories as to where rain came from."

"Rain?" Thace asked. Keith blinked. Was it not common in space?

"Water that falls from the sky. Seivo, you know about it, right?" Keith asked. Sevo looked up from the row of cucumbers he was undressing with his eyes.

"I do now. I absolutely freaked the first time. I thought it was acid. But then I found out it was normal on that planet, and thus I wasn't phased by this planet's habit of dumping water on people." Seivo went back to focusing on the cucumbers. 

"That seems...odd. But I would like to see that." Thace glanced upwards, as if he expected the ceiling to start pouring water on them. His eyes then followed downwards, watching after a human woman, who was walking by with her children. "That woman's offspring seem much too old to be suckling. Why does she still have milk sacs?" 

Keith coughed. He was not having this conversation. Not now, not ever. Especially not with his father.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edited 11/27/2017


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Good thing last chapter was somewhat humorous. Because of this chapter. Oh boy. Its all downhill from here for a while folks. 
> 
> Oh, and anyone who fears Seivo will take over the story or become important, don't fear. The only real reason I brought him as more then just worldbuiding was because I couldn't think of a way to get Keith and Thace into town on their own, and I really wanted to make the joke at the end of the last chapter. Sevo's barely a character in this story. More of a plot device. I don't have anything too relevant planned for him. 
> 
> Just assume here that Keith has already been previously updated on what Thace does.

"Why did you come now, after all this time. Why now?" The thrill of having his father again blurred just enough that Keith was finally able to ask this question. Thace's face crumbled into despair.

"I feared that if I didn't make it to Earth now, I never would have the chance again."

"What's going on?" 

"Separate small rebel groups have been showing up lately on battle and prison ships. They're hindering many of my brethren's attempts to stay hidden, and several of us have been captured as a result. To combat this, our efforts to take down Zarkon have doubled. Its a risk we must take, and I fear I might not make it though alive to the end." Thace starred down at the hot beverage he'd been given. Caw-fee, or something like that.

"But...you can't!" Keith stood up from his seat, and slammed his hands down on the table. "Not after I finally got you back!" Some small part of Keith hoped his father would stay for good. They could make up for all the lost time, and find the source of the energy together. Keith still hadn't found the cave again, but with Seivo's ship, Keith might be able to track it down.

"Ak-Keith, I almost didn't want to come at all, because I didn't want you to hurt even more when I left. But you and Sevo are my only remaining children, and I had to see you both once more, just in case I get caught. Disobeying Zarkon in anyway is death on its own." Thace took a sip of his drink, and grimaced at the bitterness of it. Humans drank this? What kind of fools were they? 

"Take me with you then. I have nothing else here." The energy didn't count if it meant Keith would have more time with his father. "I want to find out Shiro's fate anyways, and space _was_ where he is. You'd be helping me even more then you being here with me now is."

"Shiro?"

"My human brother. He was captured by a Galra ship along with two other humans. Less then an Earth year ago."

Thace's brows knotted, and recognition crossed his face. "Are you talking about the Champion?"

"Champion? What do you mean?" 'Champion' seemed victorious. And to be victorious in the Galra empire when you weren't a Galra, you would have had to have survived...no. Please no. Shiro couldn't have ended up there. Keith would have rather Shiro be killed right after being captured then for him to suffer in those fights. Maybe the Champion was Matt. Or Katie's father. It couldn't be Shiro. "What do they look like?"

"Almost like you look, but much heavier built." That already discounted the Holts. "He was captured on a desolate moon during a scouting mission along with two other of his kind. That does match up with your story. He's quite well known in the Empire." 

"Is....is he suffering?"

"Undoubtedly." 

Keith sunk back into his chair finally, and cradled his face in his arms, tears threatening to fall from his eyes.

"He can't be....he shouldn't be!"

But Keith knew that Thace had a better chance of being right, that Shiro was suffering while Keith already thought him dead, and that was what finally made Keith's tears fall.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edited 11/27/2017


	11. Chapter 11

Thace couldn't take Keith back to the empire, but he did take him back up to space. Even during his time in the Garrison, Keith had never made it to the stars. 

Keith came close once, when he and two other cadets at the Garrison almost stole a space ship. Accidentally, they tried to claim later in the office. The youngest one had batted his eyes and tried pleasant words in between bitter mutters of Spanish, and the reluctant one had just pleaded, worried less for himself and more for his friends, but it was Keith's perfect record and his in with Shiro that ended the dispute of their punishment. 

Now, looking out the window and upon Neptune, even though he couldn't remember their names, he wished they could see this. When he actually thought about it, didn't block the memories of the Garrison as much, he could almost say the boys had been his friends. In the darkest parts of his memory, he saw passionate, wide blue eyes, and heard talk about family back in Cuba hoping he would be the one to make it in the world and bring them out of poverty. As well, he saw a wide, friendly smile, hints about the more mechanical based parts of Keith's homework, and a feeling of pure happiness and brotherly love.

He now remembered nights sneaking around, and talks underneath the stars about where they'd end up being placed by the Garrison. One knew he would be an engineer, since that's what he was studying for, but both Keith and the other wanted to be fighter pilots. They teased and half-fought over their shared dream, but they were both content in the idea that they'd both be in the role one day. 

_And then they weren't._

Keith growled. Now he remembered why he forced himself to forget them. Things had went sour between him and the younger one, though if Keith hadn't been kicked out of the Garrison, it was a simple enough issue that they could have worked it out with enough time. As soon as he walked out of the Garrison, those chances ceased.

Keith had focused on his own problems, and on Katie's shared problem, and on Shiro. When he forced the memories of the Garrison to dim, the memories of his friends had gone with them. 

What were their names?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edited 11/27/2017


	12. Chapter 12

Keith looked too close to tears as he starred out the window. Lonely as space had become

Every time Thace looked at Keith his hearts broke all over again, but this was especially painful. 

"Son, do you wish to talk about anything?" Thace asked, approaching Keith. Keith seemed rather startled at the sudden voice, but didn't outwardly react all that much. Thace could only tell from how Keith's ears flattened even more across his head. 

"Huh?" Keith was coming out of his own little world, but once Thace's words finally clicked in, he nodded. "Have....have I always had a selective memory?" 

"Having faced trauma since your birth....yes. I always thought it did you good. You were happier not always remembering what people thought of you. But..." Thace hesitated, for longer then he should have, considering the look that crossed Keith's face. "...I can see that is not true now."

It wasn't. Maybe it never was.

"There are people. I can't remember them much, but I miss them. I miss them a lot. Not as much as I miss Shiro, but there's a longing to see them again. I don't even know their names."

_\--nc-?_

_-u--?_

"We they cats, like Kate?"

"No. They were human."

Thace nodded. "Tell me all you remember about them. Maybe it will bring back other memories."

"Well...we were a group of friends. I wasn't just friends with both of them. They were best friends too. I was the oldest, but I don't think they realized it. I joined the Garrison late, but my height may have given them the impression I was their age. The loud one certainly liked to tease me like Shiro did." Affectionately, but certainly still trying to get a rise out of Keith. Shiro had let up on it in recent years, since he went to the Garrison and---

No. Don't think about Shiro. Don't think about him in pain. Don't think about how you can't save him. 

Look away. Focus on something else. Focus on....

_-anc-?_

_Hu--?_

"The other one was big and friendly. I don't think he liked me as much as the other did. Not in a bad way. Blue Eyes was just very attached to me. Don't know why though..."

Blue eyes, brown skin, curled hair, so many family members, jealousy....

_Lanc-?_

**Lance!**

"Papa, the blue eyed boy was named Lance. I remember now....I...."

That fight. The words exchanged. _Hun-_ **Hunk** had tried to stop them, but was thus considered involved with the fight and was disciplined as they were. Keith and Lance were no longer friends that day, and that put a wedge between Keith and Hunk. 

Keith never got to say he was sorry because he was a stubborn mess of emotions. 

He never got to say goodbye. 

Keith had lost everyone. His mother, lost at birth. His father only recently returned, and probably soon to leave. Shiro. Lance. Hunk.

Kate.

And who said he would see Katie again? 

There were the tears again. He was crying a lot lately, he noticed. 

Thace was pushed away when he tried to show comfort for the breaking man in front of him, and it only made Thace feel worse.

Thace never wanted to leave Keith alone like this again. But for the better of the universe, he would have to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some stuff is meant to reflect things and not be literal, and much of this story would actually be written and spoken in Galran if it was possible to do so. For example, Thace is called Papa by Keith not because he's literally calling him Papa, but I imagine Papa being the closest equivalent to what form of the Galra word for 'father' a three year old Galra may call their sire. 
> 
> Edited 11/27/2017


	13. Chapter 13

Cucumbers were a fruit, something Keith hadn't been aware of. Seivo had bought plenty, and although they were rather tasteless, they were a change from random animals. 

They ate the many cucumbers Seivo bought as they talked among each other, hidden from the desert sun in Keith's little shack.

Keith, Thace, and Seivo were the last of their family. Thace spoke of Keith and Seivo's uncle Kolivan, from their mother's side, while Seivo rolled his eyes at the mention of him, but they were the last of the linage of Keith's namesake, _Akeethak the Strong._

It was a certain kind of loneliness. Keith was used to having only one brother, so having only Seivo wasn't much of a change, but there was a time where he'd been youngest of many.

 _Kaicen_  
Died in a Druid experiment. 

_Glowl_  
Killed for access to his merely theoretical weapon plans that became not so theoretical.

 _Soquix_  
Died for what she believed in. 

_Neadril_  
Killed in battle, body never recovered. 

_Acxa_  
Missing, presumed dead. 

The odds of survival were not strong among Thace's children, which chilled Keith to his very bones.

Thace spoke of the horror of the universe. Everything he dared not share with Keith as a child. Seivo tried to lighten things up with jokes, and tales of all the amazing forms of life he'd seen and actually interacted with. 

They'd be leaving soon. Keith would be alone again. It was bittersweet. He'd be alone, but Thace had promised that he'd put out word that the Champion would be worth breaking out. Keith knew he could never get Shiro back from the heart of the Galra Empire, but Thace's people had a chance. 

The unacknowledged countdown went by too fast, but it was spent telling silly stories, or teaching new things.

Keith learned that as a child he'd been rather fond of feline-like creatures that Zarkon had permitted as pets, and that even then he had a talent for their language. Keith had assumed that Kate's, and all cats', almost words were just in his head, not that her sounds were similar to the felines he grew up around. It wasn't exactly a common talent, understanding them more then others, but only because most didn't take the time.

Thace also explained Keith's blade to him more. Although Keith couldn't successfully do it, the blade could be 'awoken' into a larger weapon and it was the most excited Keith had been in a while.

Keith told and taught Thace and Seivo things too. 

Keith talked a lot about Shiro, showed him as a person and not the Champion, and Seivo in particular seemed entranced by Shiro. Keith suspected that if Seivo ever met Shiro, he'd be intent on getting all sorts of pointers from him.

Seivo learned about the wonders of eyeliner and took to it with much glee and although it was rather messy with his fur around his eyes, and because Keith wasn't that good at applying it, he hummed and purred at his reflection, and Keith wondered if Seivo was planning his own breakout of Shiro simply so he could learn to apply eyeliner from the true master. 

Keith told Thace about his adoptive Earth parents, and Thace rather approved of them. He expressed much misery of their deaths. 

When it was finally time for his father and brother to leave, Keith had one last request. 

"Can you help me find a certain cave?"

Although it was a strange request, they'd do anything for Keith. 

It was rather easy to find once he was able to map from the air, and if it wasn't for the fact it would be too conspicuous, Keith would have stolen an aircraft or a jetpack from the Garrison. He could get to the cave on his own now though with the map he'd drawn. 

The three stood at the entrance, and all immediately felt the comfortable warmth. Keith turned on his flashlight, and when the saw what the darkness hid from even their better vision as Galra, they couldn't help but gasp.

"Woah..." Seivo said, his one good eye widening and his scared eye making a decent attempt to do the same. 

Carvings and cave paintings. Many of them. 

They all went to different parts of the cave, and with every newly discovered picture Keith cursed that he hadn't brought a camera. 

It was mostly lions, but it was the stories told about the lion that amazed them all the most. Keith and Seivo darted about the cave like the children they were, trying to guess the full meaning of the lion carvings, but Thace stood still in consideration. 

"They say Voltron was made up of five felines..." 

**Voltron**

"Father, you can't be saying that this points to the where abouts of of one of the felines of Voltron!" Seivo said with a laugh. "This is too close to the empire. My buddy who found the red one and turned it over, for 10000000 GAC mind you, found it way out of the Empire's reach. I bet this is just some carvings of an ancient god the old locals believed in."

"But what if it isn't? The other Blades must hear about this." Thace fumbled with one of his pockets, and then pulled out a communicator. He handed it over to Keith. 

It was small, and it looked almost like a calculator. It even appeared to be sun powered. 

"I intended to give this to you from the start to keep in touch, but this just makes it more important. Study these carvings. Report them to me through this. And if you do find the feline, then let me know immediately." Thace suddenly didn't look soft and kind. He looked war hardened, and sad. 

"I will. And thank you for helping me find this place once again." 

They said their goodbyes outside the cave.

"I'd stay here with you, Keith," Seivolin admitted, "'cause I currently have a bounty on my head for some...uh.. reverse slave trading. Found out I was hired to recapture some escaped slaves, and I brought them to a neutral planet instead of their 'master'. He was none too pleased and put a bounty on me. But uncle Kolivan wants to see if I'm 'worthy of the blade' _-he must be desperate-_ and he's rather headstrong about his choices, so..." Seivo laughed, and smiled awkwardly, his fangs catching light and glinting.

"I will message as often as I can." Thace spoke up. "The communicator works on a coded frequency, so its unlikely anyone will be able to grab the feed." 

Thace and Keith shared one last hug. Seivo claimed that hugs screwed with his shoulder and instead gave Keith a firm handshake. 

With final goodbyes, Thace and Seivo boarded their ship, and Keith watched it until it climbed too far into the clouds, and they were gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shiro and Seivo is my BrOTP. And only bros, because Seivo is aro ace.
> 
> I've decided that unless proven otherwise in canon, Keith's mom was not pure Galra, but hide this well enough from the general populace. I'm going to use it as the reason Keith is a 'runt' (really he's just leaning towards his non-Galran genetics) and why Acxa looks vaguely human-like. But this non-Galran heritage is not human, nor is it Altean. It's not really relevant, but I just thought I'd bring it up.
> 
> Edited 11/27/2017


	14. Chapter 14

There was something really off with this cave, and it wasn't just the lion carvings or the static warmth that danced in his head whenever he was close by or exploring the depths of the cave with his camera or that this was where the energy was coming from.

Even in the blazing heat of the desert, the cave always had a livable temperature, and the water was soothing in clean. This just made Keith all the more suspicious of what the cave was hiding. 

It was more bearable then other caves Keith had explored, at least. Shiro once took Keith on a mountain trail, where Keith tripped and fell into a small cave hidden behind bushes. Keith did not have high opinions of caves because of it. Most caves didn't potentially hide an entrance to a legendary war machine either. 

Keith didn't have much to report to Thace the first few weeks of exploring the cave, but he was eventually able to piece together several possible stories. Either the blue cat had floated down from the sky thousands of years ago on its own and hidden itself in the cave while the locals waited every generation for it to come out to bath in the sunlight, or enjoy the rare rain, or the cat had its masters that had lived in the area until their demises. Keith was sure that it was a combination of those two with a mixture of the small stories told. 

As he decoded the lion stories further, Keith realized other things. The people who created many of the pictures had predicted the arrival of something just as great as the lion arriving. It was silly to consider relevant, but Keith had heard of stranger occurrences, so while he didn't think some great arrival would happen in what might be the very year, it was something to look forward to. As long as it was friendly. 

Two months into his decrypting of the cave, drawing ever so close to the one year anniversary to the day Keith truly lost Shiro, Keith made an off putting discovery in a corner of a cave. 

Words, alien in nature, but clearly words, and nothing Galran. He sent a picture of it to Thace through the communicator, and it was sent back to him in Galran. 

**Raczer**  
**Love of all myself. I live now only in his name. We will see each other once again.**

Out of all the carvings, this was the only one of its kind.

In that moment, Keith felt a sadness that dragged down his entire being. A sadness that wasn't his own. 

Keith understood. 

"They meant a lot to you, didn't they? You've been lonely without them. I know what that's like." 

Sadness turned to longing, so Keith went on.

"When I find a way to get to you, you won't ever be alone again."

Despite the silence that surrounded him, Keith swore he heard a distant lion's roar.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Raczer is the Galra servant that Blaytz flirted with, and I've decided they got married, and they fled to Earth when Zarkon lost his shit and they lived cautious but loving lives together until old age took them. Happy-ish ending for those two.
> 
> Edited 11/27/2017


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, my younger sibling read this story, and decided that for them, it was 'meh' aside from Kate's death, mostly because it was obvious to them who I based Kate on and it struck a heartstring. I say this because I told them Kate's backstory, and realized I hadn't touched on it in this story. Since the story is near its end, I thought I'd say it here.  
> Kate was the pet of an older couple, who both died within a short period of time of each other. None of the owners' children wanted to care for Kate, so she was tossed out on the streets. Her original name was Snow.
> 
> Admittedly, this chapter is almost all just padding and fluff and Keith shoplifting (which is not cool, but just because I hate it, it doesn't mean Keith doesn't do it in actual canon), but that's just because i'm putting all my effort into the last two chapters to give this story a decent sendoff.

Keith visited Kate's grave one night. It had been disturbed, and no doubt Kate's final use was a meal, but whatever animal took her, he couldn't blame. He knew what hunger was like. 

Even in the physical absence of Kate, he talked to her. Told her about his father and his brother, and the _feeling_ that had been following him since his first trek into the desert. How it was most likely a part of a legendary war machine that was mostly passed on a child's tale but could be true. Shiro was alive and although he couldn't be in that good of state, he could be home soon. 

Shiro was legally dead, but Keith expected that once Shiro was back they could come up with some story to reverse it, or he and Shiro could live out their lives in that shack. Maybe adopt one of the lizards as a pet. Katie and that Matt guy could visit as often as they could. After all, Thace had amusingly messaged Keith that after 'not being worthy of the blade' Seivo had made it his own personal mission to find the Holts in lieu of rescuing Shiro himself (also known as attempting to get himself killed) and Keith had just known he would be right about that.

Keith told Kate how he was feeling happier then he had been in a long time. Almost a year since he'd dropped out of the Garrison and he was finally happy.

Keith hadn't really been happy since Shiro left. Even before he disappeared, it wasn't the same. When Shiro had been reported dead, Keith had been broken. He'd spent his 18th birthday hiding in his room, with Hunk trying and failing to cheer him up. It didn't matter then that Keith and Lance were fighting. Hunk was just sunshine. 

Keith wondered how the two were doing. The new school year would have started weeks ago. He did feel rather left out, but those two had probably moved on already, all nice and cool because to all the Garrison's faults, at least they air conditioned the building, and even almost going into September, the heat of the desert was still fuck-you degrees. Keith envied them it that way. It could be all over soon. Keith would have Shiro back and they could resume their lives by either buying a nice house from the lawsuits they'd force on the Garrison, and they could get all their stuff out of storage to fill their new home, or Shiro could at least help Keith install air conditioning in the shack.

Keith left Kate's gravesite feeling bittersweet. Kate had been wonderful. She had loved him and he had loved her. It still hurt even though she'd been dead longer then he'd known her. But he had the chance to know her, and that made it worth it. 

He went back into town, grabbing random supplies with money he didn't have. He could hear Shiro yelling at him, but he'd lived like this a while. Plus, he could pay back what he'd stolen with the lawsuit money. What he did pay for, with his last five bucks, was bags of cat and dog food, although cheap. 

The rest of the day he fed local strays, all who deserved a home as much as Keith wanted one. He made sure that he memorized where he'd found all of them so when he reported them to the animal shelter, at least a few of them could be found. 

A kindness in Kate's name. Maybe a final kindness. 

There was something coming next week, as the pictures in the cave told. It would land in the desert, where anyone could get to it. Whether it was going to happen or not, Keith needed to be prepared. Tomorrow, he was breaking into the Garrison, and per his plan, Keith was stealing explosives.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edited 11/27/2017


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter took longer to write then I expected, but I ended up minorly editing and adding a bit to chapters 1 to 15, especially the first few. I made a few things clearer, added things I felt were missing, fixed and changed minor bits of information and basically anything I felt needed to be added for a better story. I've been meaning to get around to it for months, but never had enough motivation until my sibling started bringing up Kate excessively.
> 
> Speaking of that, my sibling has assured me that having Kate get eaten was Not Okay and there was an implied I Should Be Ashamed Of Myself in their tone, and I guess I have to apologize if that offended any one else. It's the way of life, but I guess it upsets some people. For a Shiro-analogy meant to invoke sadness, Kate sure has become greatly loved.

Returning to the Garrison wouldn't be on Keith's to do list if C4 wasn't hard to come by. Why a space exploration training center had a stash of explosives was a mystery, but he'd seen it once during one of the nights he was out past curfew, admittedly because Iverson was rumoured to secretly be a werewolf, and he was trying to prove it.

Full moon came and went and no instructor was clearly an actual physical monster (personality wise, many applied), and it'd been over a year since he'd seen the explosives, but it was his best bet.

This was when it would have been nice to have someone. Someone to help carry out C4 without a care to the rules. Lance, maybe- _"Let's see if we can pick up some nice girls at that fiesta in town!" Lance had suggested. "Isn't that against the rules?" Hunk asked. "Screw the rules. Keith needs to lighten up. This could help! You like girls, right?" Keith had nodded, but hesitance laced his words. "Yeah... but.... uh... hook ups aren't my thing." "See! No need to break the rules." Hunk was relieved that there wouldn't be a high chance of ending back in the office, when Lance, not ready to back down, continued. "Think of the food! You could probably help out at the booths and Keith can be my wing man!"_ -but Keith would rather avoid that mess.

Shockingly, for once the trio hadn't been caught for that misadventure.

Nothing had changed about the Garrison since he'd left. Some of the offices had different names, but that was pretty much it. 

Keith passed by Iverson's office, and froze. 

It had all started here. Where he'd discovered the truth. Where he'd met Katie. He was a different man the last time he was in that office. 

He'd been idiotic, rash, and there was so much he could have done. He was better then that. He was Keith _Fucking_ Sung.

Keith wished his family had been able to properly adopt him; even now that he'd been able to apply to the Garrison as Akira Shirogane. That was what his earth parents wanted to call him before Shiro's name for him became what they too eventually used. 'Keith' had started out as a nickname based on 'Akeethak', but quickly over took Akira. 

_“You will disappear, Mr. Sung. One way or another.”_

Iverson's poisonous words still stung even as they rang true.

If Keith wasn't already pressed for time, Iverson would have woken up to something unpleasant, like badly done eyeliner. He couldn't do anything horrible. Not when Shiro could be returned to him any day. That hope. He had to hold onto it, to never loss it.

Remembering the breathing exercises Shiro had taught him, Keith managed to push down a full blown panic attack, and keep moving.

Iverson didn't control him, and never would.

*******

The explosives were not where Keith remembered, but with trial and error, he located the C4, and managed to break out of the Garrison with a bag of the stuff as easily as he broke in. Keith now had little faith in the Garrison's ability to not be shit, and this made his plan all the more satisfying to implement. 

If this 'event' was to really take place in this desert, the Garrison would be on it like animals on a kill.

The explosions would be a distraction for them, while Keith slipped the rug out from under them. 

Today was the one year anniversary of Shiro's disappearance. The 'event' was now just days away. 

Keith was the calmest he'd been in months. 

He was in his cave, listening to _his friend_ purr in his mind, as he fed back concepts to it. To her. 

Things were going right. Keith didn't expect it to last, but for now, he was going to relish this time. 

Keith's father was sending the occasional communication, making rather unflattering comments about Keith's uncle, but also making fond comparisons between Kolivan and Keith's mother. 

As well, Thace compared Keith and his mother. She had been rather uncontrollable, and that was why Thace had fallen in love with her, and out of her children, it had been Keith, Seivolin, and Axca who took most after her. Thace theorized that even though Keith had never gotten the chance to know her, her spirit clearly lived on with Keith all these years.

To know his birth mother would have been a blessing, but in a way he did know her. In his human mother, who cared for him up until her life ended. In the people he cared for him. In Shiro. Kate. 

Keith's life all led to this moment, tragedy and terror, and now this unexpected bliss. 

No matter what, Keith wanted to remain this alive.


End file.
